7/1/07 Able Flight Training So Far... - Well it's been just under a week since I started training Rob and Sean, and things are going pretty well so far. The Daniels' have generously offered to let me stay at their house, which has made a huge difference for me by eliminating a 60-mile one-way commute every day. After spending some time in their nice house with Wittman Regional Airport right out our back door, and being able to wake up and be flying within a few minutes, I can really see why they call this place "7th Heaven!"

So far Rob and Sean and I have collectively logged 6.8 hours in the Sky Arrow. We will pick up the pace as we move along. We've also done several ground lessons. Both students are ready to start learning takeoffs and landings.

The three of us and Wayne's sign by his taxiway. Notice the sign he made for us!

Sean and I after starting the engine on tonight's lesson

7/3/07 Tour of Sonex in Oshkosh - Rob, Sean, Wayne, and I took a tour of the Sonex facility at Wittman Field in Oshkosh today. Mark Schaible of Sonex Aircraft, LLC showed us a few different buildings where Sonex parts are bundled and shipped as kits. We also got to see some nice examples of completed models.

7/4/07 Eighth Student to Solo - My student Dave took his first solo flight today after we fine-tuned his takeoffs and landings in Waupaca today. I'm sure he won't forget the date.

7/5/07 Sky Arrow Setback - The Able Flight training was moving along until Tuesday, July 2nd when Sean and I were flying around Oshkosh. Since then we've lost three days of training due to maintenance. The airplane's electrical system stopped charging correctly, meaning something was wrong with the alternator or voltage regulator. It took a while to arrange maintenance because of the July 4th holiday and people being busy. The airplane has a Rotax engine and there aren't many Rotax repair places around. The closest and quickest to respond was in Reedsburg, WI. I flew the plane there solo today to get the problem checked out. The mechanic was quick to fix what turned out to be the voltage regulator. He just had to put a new one in.

I ended up having to spend the whole afternoon and most of the evening there, though, because the weather quickly got convective and thunderstorms moved through nearby. I had expected it to happen so I brought my computer along for something to do. The people at the FBO were incredibly nice... I went to lunch with one of the instructors, and later they let me share the pizza they got for dinner! I also got to see several Ercoupes based on the field. The weather finally cleared just in time to let me get back to Oshkosh before dark.

7/7/07 To Breakfast in a Sonex - I rode to Munsil Williams' private airstrip just southwest of Oshkosh today with Wayne Daniels in his Sonex, N444SX. Every Saturday, Munsil hosts a get-together for coffee and donuts at his farm, which has a grass runway. I used to go there often in 1999 and 2000, but until today, haven't been there since then.

7/12/07 One Student Goes Home - Unfortunately Rob encountered some medical problems with his eye and will not be able to complete training in Oshkosh because he needs to go home to Texas. He was very close to soloing the Sky Arrow. Sean and I said goodbye today and later went flying this evening. I got a gorgeous picture of the sunset over Lake Butte des Morts.

7/13/07 A BIG Day... Sean Solos! - It may have been Friday the 13th but today was Sean's lucky day. This morning we flew to Manitowoc for breakfast with Ted and Dale from Brennand Airport. Sean learned to navigate to an unfamiliar airport using a sectional chart. This afternoon we flew to Fond du Lac to work on landings. Later we flew yet again, locally in Oshkosh, just doing takeoffs and landings. As if that wasn't enough... I surprised Sean by returning to the hangar unusually early, then stepping out of the plane and asking if he wanted to try it himself! Wayne, Kathy, and I watched from near a taxiway as Sean made his first three solo takeoffs and landings. He did a great job and we were all proud!

Sean taking off on his first solo

Sean and the beautiful evening sky

I congratulate Sean with a handshake after his first solo

7/22/07 Final Prep for Sean's Checkride - Sean and I have had a busy and challenging few weeks. We have flown every day possible, at all times of the day, in the heat, sun, turbulence, wind, and rain. We've had some great sunset flights and visits to several airports. Sean accomplished his solo cross-country on July 20th when he flew from Brennand Airport to Stevens Point to Clintonville. Today we went all-out with 2.7 hours of dual review and then Sean flew solo one last time to meet the solo time requirement. We'e worked very hard even when things got tough and we felt like our brains couldn't take any more. It has been a wonderful journey. Sean has logged 26.1 hours in 28 days despite weather and maintenance setbacks. It is amazing what we have accomplished in less than a month. Now it's time for the crowning acheivement: Sean's checkride is scheduled for tomorrow morning in Clintonville. We would have done it in Oshkosh if we could have gone sooner, but we can't fly out of there right now due to EAA AirVenture.

7/23/07 The World's Newest Sport Pilot on the Opening Day of AirVenture - We did it! Sean passed his checkride in Clintonville this morning! Later today we went to EAA AirVenture and attended a forum given by Charles Stites, executive director of Able Flight. How fitting that Sean accomplished his checkride on the first day of the airshow, just in time to tell about it at the forum! Sherwood Williams, the FAA examiner, also attended. Charles talked about the program and of course publicly congratulated Sean for his achievement. Later Wayne and Kathy hosted a party for everyone involved in Able Flight. Today was somewhat of a blur with all the excitement.

Sean receives his Sport Pilot certificate from FAA designated examiner Sherwood Williams

7/28/07 Highlights of my AirVenture Week - This is the first time in a few years where I have spent more than a day or two at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Last year I didn't attend at all. I felt kind of strange afterwards, so this year I made up for it by having the "real" Oshkosh experience: camping with an airplane! Although I did go home a couple of nights during the week, the rest of the time I camped under the wing of a Cessna 182 with Kent. I wasn't focused on seeing anything specific at the show, but rather just sort of wandered around and enjoyed looking at planes.

I participated in two forums: the aforementioned Able Flight presentation and a live recording of the Pilotcast. Actually that one included members of other aviation podcasts as well, and it was a treat to meet people like Jason Miller of "The Finer Points" and go out to dinner with all of them.

Every night I was there, it was dinner with somebody or another special... the big group of podcasters, the guys from the Pilotcast, a real living employee of Apple (who couldn't give us any free stuff), several good friends from the Pilots of America message board, and people from this summer's Able Flight project. Tonight was another party at Wayne and Kathy's. Rob managed to come back up from Texas to see some of the show and go to the party.

Oshkosh is always full of reunions... My Pilots of America friends, of course, and plus I got to see my old flight instructor Thom who works for Cirrus, whom I haven't seen since May of 2005. I also randomly ran into two people I know from "back in the day" volunteering at Pioneer Airport.

One of the biggest highlights for me was traveling out to Fisk, where the approach controllers have a station set up and guide airplanes into Oshkosh. They are the first controllers who help funnel pilots into the right approach paths. I went with Kent, Mike, and Dan of the Pilotcast because they wanted to get some audio and video. We arrived during the airshow when everything was quiet at Fisk. Then when the airport reopened, whoa... and not only was there a steady stream of traffic, but the weather was just awful with pouring rain most of the time. What these controllers accomplish is amazing. At one point they were having trouble identifying and communicating with a small low-wing plane that wasn't doing the right thing. I let them know it was an Ercoupe! And for that, I earned one of the fluorescent pink shirts that only the AirVenture controllers wear!

On Friday the 27th we had an award ceremony for Able Flight scholarship winners right smack in AeroShell square. It was a proud feeling to be up on stage with my two students. There were several important supporters of the program in the audience. Charles thanked the sponsors, told the stories of the scholarship recipients, and handed out awards and wings pins.

Saturday the 28th, Kent, our friend Tony, and I took the 182 to Shawano for a fly-in breakfast. Then Kent dropped off Tony and I in Clintonville so we could bring the Sky Arrow back to Brennand Airport. Sean and Mitch from Hansen Air Group would need to pick it up there and take it to Wautoma for aerial photos. Kent picked Tony and I back up at Brennand, and the three of us flew into Oshkosh using the arrival procedure. I rode in the back. It was the first time Tony or I had seen the arrival procedure in action. Unfortunately it was rather dull since we were almost the only plane up there!

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